Sara M Moorman
Biographic Data
| ID | 145793 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sara M Moorman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sara M |
| FAMILY NAME | Moorman |
| SIGNATURE | MOORMAN S M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Boston College |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7555-1769 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 36 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 157 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 36 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Happiness Loves Company? Positive Affect and the Momentary Social Context
Being in the company of other people is a key determinant of emotional well-being, including positive affect. Many spaces where older adults spend time alone are also social spaces, but less is known about whether simply being in the vicinity of other people matters for positive affect. The authors distinguish between two social states: being with others (purposeful social company) and being around others (sharing space with people who are not fo…
High-Impact Participation? Social Activities, Activity Frequency, and Older Adult Cognition
ObjectivesThere is growing recognition that social participation may help attenuate cognitive decline in older ages. Unfortunately, previous research often relies on participation index measures, which may obfuscate associations among cognition, specific activities, and the frequency of partaking in those activities.MethodsData are from six waves of the Health and Retirement Study ( N = 20,696). Regression models test how associations between soc…
Beyond the classroom
Our findings show that cognitive extracurricular activities in adolescence build cognitive reserve and support verbal fluency and word recall across the life course. These results highlight the important role of early-life experiences for healthy cognitive aging and suggest that promoting extracurricular cognitive engagement during adolescence may have lasting cognitive benefits
Perceived spousal similarity in outlook on life
Objectives People tend to choose marital partners who are similar to themselves, and spouses become increasingly similar in some respects due to shared life experiences. However, it is unknown whether spousal similarity contributes to the health of married people in later life. This study investigates whether and how spousal similarity in outlook on life is linked to later-life well-being. Methods We used data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Stud…
High School Curricular Rigor and Cognitive Function among White Older Adults
Most research on the strong relationship between education and cognitive aging has focused on years of schooling. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study-a sample of White persons born in 1939-we explored whether greater curricular rigor in high school was also associated with better cognitive function in later life. We estimated multilevel structural equation models in data from 2,749 participants who attended 308 Wisconsin high schools…
Life Course Associations of Sibling Relationships and Cognitive Functioning in Late Adulthood
The results suggest that childhood experiences within the family of origin may have lasting effects on adult sibling relationships and the cognitive functioning of older adults. This study highlights the potential cognitive benefits of frequent contact with adult siblings, underscoring the importance of nurturing sibling relationships throughout one's life
Life course linkages between enriching early-life activities and later life cognition
College Selectivity and Later-Life Memory Function
Research has shown a consistent association between college completion and laterlife cognition. We extend this work by examining whether college selectivity—the achievement level required to gain admission to a college—is associated with memory functioning more than 50 years later. We analyze data from 10,317 participants in the 1957–2011 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study to examine the relationship between college selectivity and later-life memory. M…
Bereavement in the Time of Coronavirus
COVID-19 fatalities exemplify "bad deaths" and are distinguished by physical discomfort, difficulty breathing, social isolation, psychological distress, and care that may be discordant with the patient's preferences. Each of these death attributes is a well-documented correlate of bereaved survivors' symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger. Yet the grief experienced by survivors of COVID-related deaths is compounded by the erosion of coping re…
Using Mixture Modeling to Construct Subgroups of Cognitive Aging in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study
Results demonstrate the utility of using mixture modeling to identify qualitatively and quantitatively distinct subgroups of cognitive aging among older adults. We discuss the implications of these results for the continued use of population health data to advance research on cognitive aging
Life Course Pathways From Childhood Socioeconomic Status to Later-Life Cognition
Findings provide support for both latency and social pathway processes when considering how SES in childhood influences later-life cognition. Results contribute to growing calls for social policies and programs to support optimal brain health at multiple phases throughout the life course, especially among individuals with lower SES as children
Insufficient Advance Care Planning? Correlates of Planning Without Personal Conversations
Socially isolated persons are especially likely to do formal planning only, which is considered less effective than two-pronged ACP. Health care professionals should recognize that older adults with few kin may require additional support and guidance when doing ACP
Is College Completion Associated with Better Cognition in Later Life for People Who Are the Least, or Most, Likely to Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree
Results indicate the utility of a CDA perspective for investigating the implications of interconnected early life risk and protective factors for later-life cognition, as well as ways in which college education can both contribute to, as well as mitigate, processes of CDA
School Context in Adolescence and Cognitive Functioning 50 Years Later
To advance understanding of how social inequalities from childhood might contribute to cognitive aging, we examined the extent to which school context in adolescence was associated with individuals' cognitive performance more than 50 years later. Using data from 3,012 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), we created an aggregate measure of school-level structural advantage, with indicators such as the proportion of teachers who …
Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Later Life Cognition
Objectives: This study examined childhood socioeconomic status (SES) as a predictor of later life cognition and the extent to which midlife SES accounts for associations. Methods: Data came from 5,074 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Measures from adolescence included parents' educational attainment, father's occupational status, and household income. Memory and language/executive function were assessed at ages 65 and 72 years. R…
The Role of Current Family Relationships in Associations Between Childhood Abuse and Adult Psychological Functioning
Childhood abuse appears to hinder perceived availability of family support in adulthood, which may undermine the psychological functioning of adults with a history of childhood abuse. To improve their psychological health, interventions should focus on facilitating supportive and functional family relationships
Childhood socioeconomic status and genetic risk for poorer cognition in later life
How Social Network Size and Quality Affect End-of-Life Surrogate Preferences
We discuss what is distinctive about the social networks of each group, and the implications for end-of-life support
The Age Composition of U.S. Neighborhoods
Extracurricular Involvement in High School and Later-Life Participation in Voluntary Associations
Findings support conceptualizing voluntary association participation among older adults as part of life course trajectories of participation, with influences originating as early as adolescence
Rewriting age to overcome misaligned age and gender norms in later life
Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood? Neighborhood Age Composition and Age Discrimination
Age discrimination is pervasive in the United States, yet little is known about the social contexts in which it occurs. Older persons spend much of their time in their neighborhoods, where a density of other older persons may protect against age discrimination. Extending group density theory to age, we analyze data from 1,561 older adults from the second wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, using neighborhood-l…
Dyadic perspectives on marital quality and loneliness in later life
Previous research on married couples has indicated that loneliness, an unrealized desire for close relationships, can affect even partnered adults. In addition to individual perceptions of the marital relationship, partner perceptions of the relationship might also heighten married adults' experiences of loneliness. I employed a dyadic approach derived from the emotion-in-relationships model to examine the extent to which individual and partner r…
History of Childhood Abuse and Intergenerational Support to Mothers in Adulthood
The authors examined the association between maternal childhood abuse and the frequency of providing social support to mothers when the victim is an adult and investigated the mediating effects of internal working models (self-esteem, positive relations with others) and maladaptive coping. Using data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States II, they analyzed a sample of 887 adult children using a structural equation mo…
Patient–Physician End-of-Life Discussions in the Routine Care of Medicare Beneficiaries
Findings support renewed efforts to reimburse physicians for discussing end of life with their Medicare patients
Sexual Behavior in Later Life
The authors conclude that the nature of sexual expression in later life reflects the interplay of body, mind, and social context
Women's Romantic Relationships After Widowhood
This study examines decisions women make about their romantic lives after widowhood. Participants were women from the Americans' Changing Lives survey, a nationwide random sample of 3,617 Americans older than age 25 years who, in 1986, were widowed ( n = 259) or had been widowed and were remarried ( n = 49). Widowed participants provided information about their male companions and their interest in remarriage, as well as information about their s…
Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Later Life Cognition
Objectives: This study examined childhood socioeconomic status (SES) as a predictor of later life cognition and the extent to which midlife SES accounts for associations. Methods: Data came from 5,074 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Measures from adolescence included parents' educational attainment, father's occupational status, and household income. Memory and language/executive function were assessed at ages 65 and 72 years. R…
Dyadic perspectives on marital quality and loneliness in later life
Previous research on married couples has indicated that loneliness, an unrealized desire for close relationships, can affect even partnered adults. In addition to individual perceptions of the marital relationship, partner perceptions of the relationship might also heighten married adults' experiences of loneliness. I employed a dyadic approach derived from the emotion-in-relationships model to examine the extent to which individual and partner r…
Family Relationships and Advance Care Planning
Family dynamics affect ACP in complex ways and should be considered when patients and their families discuss end-of-life care and make DPAHC designations
Extracurricular Involvement in High School and Later-Life Participation in Voluntary Associations
Findings support conceptualizing voluntary association participation among older adults as part of life course trajectories of participation, with influences originating as early as adolescence
School Context in Adolescence and Cognitive Functioning 50 Years Later
To advance understanding of how social inequalities from childhood might contribute to cognitive aging, we examined the extent to which school context in adolescence was associated with individuals' cognitive performance more than 50 years later. Using data from 3,012 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), we created an aggregate measure of school-level structural advantage, with indicators such as the proportion of teachers who …
Insufficient Advance Care Planning? Correlates of Planning Without Personal Conversations
Socially isolated persons are especially likely to do formal planning only, which is considered less effective than two-pronged ACP. Health care professionals should recognize that older adults with few kin may require additional support and guidance when doing ACP
Childhood socioeconomic status and genetic risk for poorer cognition in later life
End-of-Life Planning in a Family Context
Family dynamics affect ACP in complex ways and should be considered in patient-provider discussions of end-of-life care
Is College Completion Associated with Better Cognition in Later Life for People Who Are the Least, or Most, Likely to Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree
Results indicate the utility of a CDA perspective for investigating the implications of interconnected early life risk and protective factors for later-life cognition, as well as ways in which college education can both contribute to, as well as mitigate, processes of CDA
The Role of Current Family Relationships in Associations Between Childhood Abuse and Adult Psychological Functioning
Childhood abuse appears to hinder perceived availability of family support in adulthood, which may undermine the psychological functioning of adults with a history of childhood abuse. To improve their psychological health, interventions should focus on facilitating supportive and functional family relationships
Life Course Pathways From Childhood Socioeconomic Status to Later-Life Cognition
Findings provide support for both latency and social pathway processes when considering how SES in childhood influences later-life cognition. Results contribute to growing calls for social policies and programs to support optimal brain health at multiple phases throughout the life course, especially among individuals with lower SES as children
Life course linkages between enriching early-life activities and later life cognition
History of Childhood Abuse and Intergenerational Support to Mothers in Adulthood
The authors examined the association between maternal childhood abuse and the frequency of providing social support to mothers when the victim is an adult and investigated the mediating effects of internal working models (self-esteem, positive relations with others) and maladaptive coping. Using data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States II, they analyzed a sample of 887 adult children using a structural equation mo…
Persistent Problems in End-of-Life Planning Among Young- and Middle-Aged American Couples
Objectives. Guided by the transtheoretical model of health behavior change, this study sought to explain why (a) rates of advance care planning remain low in the general population and (b) surrogate decision makers are often inaccurate about patients’ end-of-life preferences. Methods. The study used quantitative data from a cross-sectional internet survey conducted between July and October 2010. The 2,150 participants aged 18–64 belonged to 1,075…
The importance of feeling understood in marital conversations about end-of-life health care
This study investigates processes within marital discussions about end-of-life medical treatment preferences. The associations among marital quality, the perception of having been understood following discussion, and intentions for whom to appoint as a health care surrogate are addressed. Data from 2,969 white married couples in their mid-60s are analyzed. Four-fifths of primary respondents reported that their partners understood their preference…
Older Adults’ Preferences for Independent or Delegated End-of-Life Medical Decision Making
Older adults cite personal and affiliative beliefs, not lack of autonomy, as reasons for their choice to decide independently or delegate
End‐of‐Life Treatment Preferences Among Older Adults
We explore the content and correlates of older adults' end-of-life treatment preferences in two hypothetical terminal illness scenarios: severe physical pain with no cognitive impairment, and severe cognitive impairment with no physical pain. For each scenario, we assess whether participants would reject life-prolonging treatment, accept treatment, or do not know their preferences. Using data from the 2004 wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study…
Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood? Neighborhood Age Composition and Age Discrimination
Age discrimination is pervasive in the United States, yet little is known about the social contexts in which it occurs. Older persons spend much of their time in their neighborhoods, where a density of other older persons may protect against age discrimination. Extending group density theory to age, we analyze data from 1,561 older adults from the second wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, using neighborhood-l…
The Role of Relationship Biography in Advance Care Planning
Couples who foresee a long and stable future together are those most likely to engage in end-of-life planning, a preventative health behavior with long-term consequences for well-being
An Assessment of Social Diffusion in the Respecting Choices Advance Care Planning Program
This study examines the potential social diffusion effects of the Respecting Choices advance care planning program administered in La Crosse, Wisconsin, since 1991. The program produces educational materials for patients, trains facilitators to help patients prepare for end of life, and ensures that advance directives are connected to patients' medical records. Using data from a survey of more than 5,000 White Wisconsin high school graduates in t…
High School Curricular Rigor and Cognitive Function among White Older Adults
Most research on the strong relationship between education and cognitive aging has focused on years of schooling. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study-a sample of White persons born in 1939-we explored whether greater curricular rigor in high school was also associated with better cognitive function in later life. We estimated multilevel structural equation models in data from 2,749 participants who attended 308 Wisconsin high schools…
Life Course Associations of Sibling Relationships and Cognitive Functioning in Late Adulthood
The results suggest that childhood experiences within the family of origin may have lasting effects on adult sibling relationships and the cognitive functioning of older adults. This study highlights the potential cognitive benefits of frequent contact with adult siblings, underscoring the importance of nurturing sibling relationships throughout one's life
Using Mixture Modeling to Construct Subgroups of Cognitive Aging in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study
Results demonstrate the utility of using mixture modeling to identify qualitatively and quantitatively distinct subgroups of cognitive aging among older adults. We discuss the implications of these results for the continued use of population health data to advance research on cognitive aging
Women's Romantic Relationships After Widowhood
This study examines decisions women make about their romantic lives after widowhood. Participants were women from the Americans' Changing Lives survey, a nationwide random sample of 3,617 Americans older than age 25 years who, in 1986, were widowed ( n = 259) or had been widowed and were remarried ( n = 49). Widowed participants provided information about their male companions and their interest in remarriage, as well as information about their s…
Sexual Behavior in Later Life
The authors conclude that the nature of sexual expression in later life reflects the interplay of body, mind, and social context
End‐of‐Life Treatment Preferences Among Older Adults
We explore the content and correlates of older adults' end-of-life treatment preferences in two hypothetical terminal illness scenarios: severe physical pain with no cognitive impairment, and severe cognitive impairment with no physical pain. For each scenario, we assess whether participants would reject life-prolonging treatment, accept treatment, or do not know their preferences. Using data from the 2004 wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study…
Older Adults’ Preferences for Independent or Delegated End-of-Life Medical Decision Making
Older adults cite personal and affiliative beliefs, not lack of autonomy, as reasons for their choice to decide independently or delegate
The importance of feeling understood in marital conversations about end-of-life health care
This study investigates processes within marital discussions about end-of-life medical treatment preferences. The associations among marital quality, the perception of having been understood following discussion, and intentions for whom to appoint as a health care surrogate are addressed. Data from 2,969 white married couples in their mid-60s are analyzed. Four-fifths of primary respondents reported that their partners understood their preference…
Persistent Problems in End-of-Life Planning Among Young- and Middle-Aged American Couples
Objectives. Guided by the transtheoretical model of health behavior change, this study sought to explain why (a) rates of advance care planning remain low in the general population and (b) surrogate decision makers are often inaccurate about patients’ end-of-life preferences. Methods. The study used quantitative data from a cross-sectional internet survey conducted between July and October 2010. The 2,150 participants aged 18–64 belonged to 1,075…
An Assessment of Social Diffusion in the Respecting Choices Advance Care Planning Program
This study examines the potential social diffusion effects of the Respecting Choices advance care planning program administered in La Crosse, Wisconsin, since 1991. The program produces educational materials for patients, trains facilitators to help patients prepare for end of life, and ensures that advance directives are connected to patients' medical records. Using data from a survey of more than 5,000 White Wisconsin high school graduates in t…
Family Relationships and Advance Care Planning
Family dynamics affect ACP in complex ways and should be considered when patients and their families discuss end-of-life care and make DPAHC designations
End-of-Life Planning in a Family Context
Family dynamics affect ACP in complex ways and should be considered in patient-provider discussions of end-of-life care
Predicting a Partner's End-of-Life Preferences, or Substituting One's Own
Numerous studies comparing patients' end-of-life health care treatment preferences with their surrogates' reports of those preferences indicate that partners do not know one another's treatment preferences: Random guesses are just as likely as surrogate choices to match the patients' preferences. The present study uses the empathic accuracy model and the assumed similarity model to shed further light on accuracy and bias in surrogate reports. The…
The Role of Relationship Biography in Advance Care Planning
Couples who foresee a long and stable future together are those most likely to engage in end-of-life planning, a preventative health behavior with long-term consequences for well-being
Patient–Physician End-of-Life Discussions in the Routine Care of Medicare Beneficiaries
Findings support renewed efforts to reimburse physicians for discussing end of life with their Medicare patients
The Age Composition of U.S. Neighborhoods
Extracurricular Involvement in High School and Later-Life Participation in Voluntary Associations
Findings support conceptualizing voluntary association participation among older adults as part of life course trajectories of participation, with influences originating as early as adolescence
Rewriting age to overcome misaligned age and gender norms in later life
Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood? Neighborhood Age Composition and Age Discrimination
Age discrimination is pervasive in the United States, yet little is known about the social contexts in which it occurs. Older persons spend much of their time in their neighborhoods, where a density of other older persons may protect against age discrimination. Extending group density theory to age, we analyze data from 1,561 older adults from the second wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, using neighborhood-l…
Dyadic perspectives on marital quality and loneliness in later life
Previous research on married couples has indicated that loneliness, an unrealized desire for close relationships, can affect even partnered adults. In addition to individual perceptions of the marital relationship, partner perceptions of the relationship might also heighten married adults' experiences of loneliness. I employed a dyadic approach derived from the emotion-in-relationships model to examine the extent to which individual and partner r…
History of Childhood Abuse and Intergenerational Support to Mothers in Adulthood
The authors examined the association between maternal childhood abuse and the frequency of providing social support to mothers when the victim is an adult and investigated the mediating effects of internal working models (self-esteem, positive relations with others) and maladaptive coping. Using data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States II, they analyzed a sample of 887 adult children using a structural equation mo…
How Social Network Size and Quality Affect End-of-Life Surrogate Preferences
We discuss what is distinctive about the social networks of each group, and the implications for end-of-life support
Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Later Life Cognition
Objectives: This study examined childhood socioeconomic status (SES) as a predictor of later life cognition and the extent to which midlife SES accounts for associations. Methods: Data came from 5,074 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Measures from adolescence included parents' educational attainment, father's occupational status, and household income. Memory and language/executive function were assessed at ages 65 and 72 years. R…
The Role of Current Family Relationships in Associations Between Childhood Abuse and Adult Psychological Functioning
Childhood abuse appears to hinder perceived availability of family support in adulthood, which may undermine the psychological functioning of adults with a history of childhood abuse. To improve their psychological health, interventions should focus on facilitating supportive and functional family relationships
Childhood socioeconomic status and genetic risk for poorer cognition in later life
Is College Completion Associated with Better Cognition in Later Life for People Who Are the Least, or Most, Likely to Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree
Results indicate the utility of a CDA perspective for investigating the implications of interconnected early life risk and protective factors for later-life cognition, as well as ways in which college education can both contribute to, as well as mitigate, processes of CDA
School Context in Adolescence and Cognitive Functioning 50 Years Later
To advance understanding of how social inequalities from childhood might contribute to cognitive aging, we examined the extent to which school context in adolescence was associated with individuals' cognitive performance more than 50 years later. Using data from 3,012 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), we created an aggregate measure of school-level structural advantage, with indicators such as the proportion of teachers who …
Bereavement in the Time of Coronavirus
COVID-19 fatalities exemplify "bad deaths" and are distinguished by physical discomfort, difficulty breathing, social isolation, psychological distress, and care that may be discordant with the patient's preferences. Each of these death attributes is a well-documented correlate of bereaved survivors' symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger. Yet the grief experienced by survivors of COVID-related deaths is compounded by the erosion of coping re…
Psychology (33 works) · Medicine (24 works) · Developmental psychology (19 works) · Gerontology (18 works) · Cognition (13 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Demography (12 works) · Demography (11 works) · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues (11 works) · Population (11 works)